caveshttps://www.thisisinsider.com/category/caves
en-usFri, 22 Feb 2019 07:37:50 -0500Fri, 22 Feb 2019 07:37:50 -0500The latest news on caves from INSIDERhttps://static3.thisisinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttps://www.thisisinsider.com
https://www.thisisinsider.com/huge-cave-discovered-canada-could-be-largest-2018-12Scientists have discovered a cave that may be the largest in Canada, and it's never been seen before by humanshttps://www.thisisinsider.com/huge-cave-discovered-canada-could-be-largest-2018-12
Wed, 05 Dec 2018 09:00:00 -0500Peter Kotecki
<p><img src="https://static6.thisisinsider.com/image/5c070290dde86738cb20e86c-1200/canada cave.jpg" border="0" alt="canada cave" data-mce-source="Catherine Hickson" /></p><p></p>
<ul class="summary-list">
<li>Members of a Canadian caribou-count exploration in April spotted a massive cave in British Columbia.</li>
<li>A geologist, an archaeological surveyor, and a caver traveled to the enormous pit in September for a survey of the area.</li>
<li>The researchers said the cave is "truly immense" and could be the largest in Canada.&nbsp;</li>
<li>It is unlikely that anyone has previously explored the cave, which is roughly 330 feet long by 200 feet wide.</li>
</ul>
<p>Canadian researchers have discovered a massive, previously unexplored cave of "national significance" in British Columbia.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The cave was first spotted during a caribou count in April, and researchers&nbsp;traveled to Wells Gray Provincial Park in September for an initial exploration. The cave is in the northern part of the park, but the team would not specify an exact location, <a href="https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/canadian-team-confirms-presence-huge-unexplored-cave-british-columbia">according to Canadian Geographic</a>.</p>
<p>Archaeological surveyor John Pollack, who is part of the team, told Canadian Geographic that the opening is roughly 330 feet long by 200 feet wide. A person looking down from the cave's edge could see nearly 600 feet below.</p>
<p>Pollack, who has visited some of the largest caves on the planet, said the most recent discovery is "truly immense," even compared to caves in other countries.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span>"</span><span>You don&rsquo;t get lines of sight of 600 feet in Canadian caves &mdash; it just doesn&rsquo;t happen," he told Canadian Geographic. "And this is a shaft. It goes down quite precipitously, it had a large amount of water flowing into it and is wide open for as far down it that we&rsquo;ve gone. The scale of this thing is just huge, and about as big as they come in Canada."</span></p>
<p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-incredible-caves-in-the-world-2016-7">9 awe-inspiring caves around the world</a></em></p>
<p><span>During the September trip, Pollack used a laser instrument to survey the pit, while geologist Catherine Hickson examined the area's geology. Caver Lee Hollis tied ropes to the side of a 200-foot waterfall that goes into the pit before descending into it.</span></p>
<p><span>"This is by far the largest and most impressive entrance pit I&rsquo;ve ever encountered, and during my brief descent it showed no signs of closing down," Hollis, who has been caving for more than 30 years, told Canadian Geographic.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span>Pollack said the cave's depth makes it very unlikely that people have explored it before. A descent would require long ropes, he said, and any efforts in the past 50 years would have likely been documented.</span></p>
<p>Local First Nations may have also been unaware of the cave, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4720734/massive-unexplored-cave-of-national-significance-b-c-park/?utm_medium=Twitter&amp;utm_source=%2540globalbc">Hickson told Global News</a>, because the cave was likely covered by snow all year until sometime in the past two to five decades.<span></span></p>
<p><span>The cave's exact size and depth have not been determined yet, but Pollack said researchers are in talks with British Columbia Parks about a field study in 2020.</span></p>
<p>Tristan Crosby, director of the University of Victoria Caving Club, told Global News that the discovery has "fired up" other caving enthusiasts.</p>
<p>"To be able to find caves like that still in this day and age that haven&rsquo;t been explored and haven&rsquo;t been discovered, it really gives me &mdash; and I know a lot of others in the community &mdash; some excitement to keep on exploring," Crosby said.<span></span></p>
<ul class="read-more-links">
<li><strong>Read more about caves:</strong></li>
<li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-caves-to-explore-in-america-2016-9?r=UK&amp;IR=T" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">15 incredible caves to explore in America</a></li>
</ul><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/huge-cave-discovered-canada-could-be-largest-2018-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/model-farouk-james-changing-modeling-industry-long-hair-2019-1">How this 7-year-old boy is changing the modeling industry with his beautiful long hair</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/inscriptions-world-war-i-soldiers-scratched-caves-hiding-german-bombs-2018-11Check out these inscriptions World War I soldiers scratched on underground caves as they hid from German bombinghttps://www.thisisinsider.com/inscriptions-world-war-i-soldiers-scratched-caves-hiding-german-bombs-2018-11
Thu, 08 Nov 2018 14:41:34 -0500Reuters and Daniel Brown
<p><img src="https://static1.thisisinsider.com/image/5be4937fdde86730a3184451-1200/2015-07-16t120000z565941669pm1eb7g0xxt01rtrmadp3ww1-century-engravings.jpg" border="0" alt="Inscriptions by WWI soldier J.G. Gibb, 2nd Highland Light Infantry, are seen on the rock in underground caves accessible by small spiral stairs in the village's church at Bouzincourt, northern France, July 13, 2015." data-mce-source="Reuters" data-mce-caption="Inscriptions by WWI soldier J.G. Gibb, 2nd Highland Light Infantry, are seen on the rock in underground caves accessible by small spiral stairs in the village's church at Bouzincourt, northern France, July 13, 2015." /></p><p></p>
<p><span>Neglected for decades, underground caves in a small village in France's Somme valley contain a treasure trove of hundreds of engravings by World War I Canadian and British soldiers as they sought refuge from German assaults.</span></p>
<p><span>Most of the inscriptions date back to 1916, many from July of that year when the Battle of the Somme started. </span></p>
<p><span>Nearly 20,000 British soldiers were killed on the first day; by the battle's end in mid-November, the two sides had together suffered over a million casualties.</span></p>
<p><span>War researchers say the engravings in the chalky rocks of Bouzincourt offer a powerful insight into the thoughts of those caught up in the Somme Offensive, one of the bloodiest battles in world history.</span></p>
<p><span>Check them out below.&nbsp;</span></p><h3>The caves are only accessible by small spiral stairs in the Bouzincourt church seen below.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.thisisinsider.com/image/5be4937fdde86730a318444c-400-300/the-caves-are-only-accessible-by-small-spiral-stairs-in-the-bouzincourt-church-seen-below.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Some 12 yards under the surface, the caves were used by locals as early as the 17th century to store food and shelter their families and livestock.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.thisisinsider.com/image/5be4937fdde86730a318444d-400-300/some-12-yards-under-the-surface-the-caves-were-used-by-locals-as-early-as-the-17th-century-to-store-food-and-shelter-their-families-and-livestock.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>"They knew that they may be about to die," Gusky told Reuters in 2015.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.thisisinsider.com/image/5be4937fdde86730a318444e-400-300/they-knew-that-they-may-be-about-to-die-gusky-told-reuters-in-2015.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>"We all want to be known, we all want to feel like our lives matter," Gusky said. "And so here on these walls we see them writing their last message to all of us, not knowing if anyone would ever see it."</p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/inscriptions-world-war-i-soldiers-scratched-caves-hiding-german-bombs-2018-11#/#many-of-the-shapes-carved-out-of-the-cave-walls-are-designed-specifically-to-allow-a-postcard-to-be-inserted-there-gusky-said-4">See the rest of the story at INSIDER</a> https://www.thisisinsider.com/thai-team-rescued-from-cave-at-risk-of-disease-2018-7The boys rescued from the cave in Thailand could have been exposed to dangerous infections from bats, fungus, or waterhttps://www.thisisinsider.com/thai-team-rescued-from-cave-at-risk-of-disease-2018-7
Tue, 10 Jul 2018 15:58:00 -0400Kevin Loria
<p><img src="https://static4.thisisinsider.com/image/5b45101f42e1cc35bd633f4b-1499/ap18185206105394.jpg" border="0" alt="Thai cave boys" data-mce-source="Royal Thai Navy Facebook Page via AP" data-mce-caption="In this July 3, 2018, image taken from video provided by the Royal Thai Navy Facebook Page, a Thai boy smiles as Thai Navy SEAL medic help injured children inside a cave in Mae Sai, northern Thailand." /></p><p></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The 12 boys and their soccer coach who were <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/thai-cave-rescue">trapped in the Tham Luang cave system</a> in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/thailand">Thailand</a> have all been rescued, but they're now in quarantine so doctors can make sure they're not infected with anything dangerous.</strong></li>
<li><strong>They could have been exposed to dangerous bacteria or viruses carried by bats or rodents in the cave.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The boys will be quarantined for at least a week before they can hug and visit with family members.&nbsp;</strong></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p>The 12 boys and their soccer coach who <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-long-can-people-survive-without-food-or-water-trapped-in-a-cave-2018-7">spent more than two weeks trapped</a> in the Tham Luang cave system in Thailand have all been safely rescued from the cave, but their ordeal isn't over yet.</p>
<p>The boys will be monitored while in isolation for at least a week at a hospital in Chiang Rai, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/thailand-cave-rescue-are-boys-healthy-hospital-2018-7">according to officials there</a>. They're being treated for various minor conditions, eating, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/thai-boys-rescued-cave-need-protective-sunglasses-2018-7">wearing sunglasses</a> to protect their vision after spending so much time in the dark.</p>
<p>In addition to all this, medical officials are concerned the boys could have been exposed to a variety of infections, including diseases carried by bats, a fungal infection sometimes called "cave disease," or the bacterial disease leptospirosis, which can be transmitted through water. At least two boys have been treated for pneumonia.</p>
<p>Plus, any sort of cut or scrape could have led to an infection as the boys made their way through the cave waters.</p>
<p>"What we're most concerned with is infections," an unnamed medic involved in the rescue operation <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-accident-cave-medics/mammoth-medical-operation-awaits-trapped-thai-cave-boys-idUSKBN1JX0R6">told Reuters</a>. "There are all kinds of diseases in the cave, from bats, from dirty water. Everything in there is very dirty."</p>
<h2><img src="https://static2.thisisinsider.com/image/5b45101f42e1cc35bd633f4d-2000/ap18188390476036.jpg" border="0" alt="thailand cave" data-mce-source="Royal Thai Navy via Associated Press" data-mce-caption="In this undated photo released by Royal Thai Navy on Saturday, July 7, 2018, Thai rescue teams arrange water pumping system at the entrance to a flooded cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand." /></h2>
<h2>Diseases lurking in caves</h2>
<p>The boys didn't report seeing any wildlife inside the caves, which could be a good sign, though that doesn't mean there wasn't anything there.</p>
<p>Bats can carry several diseases that can be passed to humans and can be quite serious, ranging from rabies to the lesser-known <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nipah-virus-outbreak-deaths-in-india-2018-5">Nipah virus</a>, which has the potential to become a pandemic and is known to exist in Thailand.</p>
<p>But Nipah virus is rare, and several experts in zoonotic diseases, which can jump to people from animals, have said it's <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rescued-thai-boys-being-watched-for-illnesses-caught-from-cave-animals/">unlikely that bats would have traveled</a> as far into the cave as the boys did.</p>
<p>Still, it's possible the soil could contain fungal spores that can cause histoplasmosis, or "cave disease." The spores, which are found in bird or bat feces, can get into soil and remain there for weeks or months. People who disturb that soil can then breathe in the spores and get sick.</p>
<p>Another bacterial infection that can be found in caves is leptospirosis, which can cause kidney damage and even meningitis, or swelling around the brain. This bacteria is spread by animal urine and could have been in the water the boys <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/leptospirosis/index.html">had to wade through to escape</a> the cave.</p>
<p>In addition to these conditions, there are plenty of more-common illnesses the boys could have picked up by drinking cave water, which they likely had to do before their rescue. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/histoplasmosis/definition.html">According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>, a person's risk of getting a serious illness goes up when their immune system is weakened, as the boys' were.</p>
<p>Doctors will also be monitoring the boys' mental health, citing the stress of being trapped underground and not knowing whether they'd get out.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/thai-cave-what-hospital-is-like-for-rescued-boys-with-porridge-and-no-tv-2018-7#no-tv-4">an initial assessment</a>, doctors reported the boys were psychologically in a good state. Their coach <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/thai-cave-rescue-meditation-helped-keep-boys-alive-2018-7">reportedly taught them to meditate</a> as they waited for rescue, which may have helped them deal with the terror of the situation.</p>
<p>If all goes well, the boys will soon be able to hug their parents and families.</p><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/thai-team-rescued-from-cave-at-risk-of-disease-2018-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/we-tried-the-thickest-dribbliest-hot-chocolate-in-london-2018-11">We tried the thickest, messiest hot chocolate in London — here's what we thought</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/how-long-can-people-survive-without-food-or-water-trapped-in-a-cave-2018-7Rescuers still can't get the Thai soccer team out of the cave they've been trapped in for 12 days — here's how long humans can survive in extreme conditionshttps://www.thisisinsider.com/how-long-can-people-survive-without-food-or-water-trapped-in-a-cave-2018-7
Thu, 05 Jul 2018 13:54:00 -0400Kevin Loria
<p><img src="https://static5.thisisinsider.com/image/5b3ab6c17708e974f824071c-800/ap18183467006179.jpg" border="0" alt="thai soccer team cave rescue" data-mce-source="Tham Luang Rescue Operation Center via AP" data-mce-caption="In this handout photo released by Tham Luang Rescue Operation Center, Thai rescue teams walk inside cave complex where 12 boys and their soccer coach went missing, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, in northern Thailand, Monday, July 2, 2018. Rescue divers are advancing in the main passageway inside the flooded cave in northern Thailand where the boys and their coach have been missing more than a week." /></p><p></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>On June 23, 12 boys and their soccer coach disappeared while hiking in Northern Thailand, eventually becoming trapped in a cave.</strong></li>
<li><strong>They were found alive on July 2.</strong></li>
<li><strong>People can go for a limited time without food or water, but the temperature around them can have an effect on their chances of survival.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The team has not yet been rescued &mdash; the search-and-rescue experts want to give them medical treatment and try to drain the flooded cave chambers before getting them out.</strong></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><br />Nine days after they went missing, rescue teams&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-thai-soccer-team-has-been-found-alive-after-being-trapped-in-a-flooded-cave-2018-7">found the 12 boys and soccer coach that got trapped</a> in the Tham Luang Nang Non&nbsp;cave system in Thailand on Monday, July 2.</p>
<p>When they were found, all 13 were alive.</p>
<p>"Thai Navy seals have found all 13 with signs of life," Chiang Rai Gov. Narongsak Osottanakorn <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-thai-rescue-teams-find-13-missing-in-cave-with-signs-of-life-2018-7">told reporters</a>. But the boys are still trapped in the cave, and no one knows when it'll be possible to get them out.</p>
<p>The boys and coach told the world via video recently that <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThaiSEAL/videos/1634041306719262/">they are healthy</a>, but medical officials say they are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/05/asia/thai-cave-rescue-intl/index.html">still not well enough</a> to be moved.</p>
<p>They are now waiting with members of the rescue expedition while others work to drain rising waters and open up passageways. The rescue teams have been able to bring food, fresh water, and medical personnel to the cave chamber where the boys are located.</p>
<p>The fact that the group has survived so far shows the extent to which people can endure extreme conditions.</p>
<p><img src="https://static3.thisisinsider.com/image/5b3ab6bf7708e974f824071a-1778/gettyimages-985969280.jpg" border="0" alt="thai soccer team cave rescue" data-mce-source="Linh Pham/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="British cave-divers John Volanthen walks out from Tham Luang Nang Non cave in full kit without any response to reporter's questions on June 28, 2018 in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Rescuers battle heavy rain in northern Thailand as they continued the search for 12 boys and their soccer coach who have been missing in Tham Luang Nang Non cave since Saturday night after monsoon rains blocked the main entrance. Teams of Navy SEAL divers worked their way through submerged passageways in the sprawling underground caverns as senior Thai government officials warned on Wednesday that time is running out and the search intensifies for the young soccer team, aged between 11 to 16, and their their 25-year-old coach, with soldiers and park rangers seeking other entry points into the cave system." /></p>
<h2>How long people can survive without food, water, and in extreme conditions</h2>
<p>The team now has access to food, water, and aluminum blankets, so their immediate needs are being tended to.</p>
<p>But several boys are reportedly suffering from malnutrition after going without food for 10 days. Their backpacks were found outside with their bicycles and soccer gear, so it's unlikely they had much with them inside.</p>
<p>For people trapped in the wild in general, dehydration is a quick killer &mdash; people generally can't go longer than a few days without water. Depending on the conditions, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-many-days-can-you-survive-without-water-2014-5">someone might be able to survive for up to a week</a> if it's not too hot and they're in the shade. But most people would have a hard time surviving longer than 100 hours or so.</p>
<p>Presumably, the team drank the rainwater that's flooding the caves. This carries risks as well. If they were to pick up an infection from the water that caused diarrhea, that could kill them faster &mdash; but it was likely the only option.</p>
<p>Food is another story &mdash; experts <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/common-survival-myths-and-facts-2017-5#myth-you-need-to-find-a-food-supply-immediately-if-you-are-lost-in-the-wilderness-3">believe that healthy adults can survive</a> four to six weeks without eating before starving to death. But each individual is different: People with more body fat who are in temperate conditions and have adequate hydration could potentially survive longer. When rescuers were still searching for the boys, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-thai-soccer-team-has-been-found-alive-after-being-trapped-in-a-flooded-cave-2018-7">Chiang Rai governor told reporters</a> they thought most people could survive 3o days without food.</p>
<p>But young boys might not have the same energy reserves as adults. Luckily, the boys have now been brought energy gels, pork, sticky rice, milk, and more to help them build up their strength.</p>
<p>Finally, temperature can be a major concern in situations like these. It's likely quite cool inside the cave system, and the flooding could make it hard for the team to stay dry. They also probably have not been able to move much to stay warm, which could make the cold even more dangerous. The aluminum blankets they now have will help keep them warm, however.</p>
<p><img src="https://static4.thisisinsider.com/image/5b3ab6c17708e974f824071d-1400/ap18179853044216.jpg" border="0" alt="Thailand cave rescue" data-mce-source="(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)" data-mce-caption="Flood water fills the entrance to a cave hindering the search effort for 12 boys and their soccer coach who went missing in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand, June 29, 2018." /></p>
<h2>Next steps in the rescue</h2>
<p>The 25-year-old coach and the 12 boys, aged 11 to 16, were reportedly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-missing-thai-soccer-team-known-for-adventures-together-2018-6">known to explore the region</a>. Their bicycles were discovered outside the caves on June 23, which led search-and-rescue experts to believe they'd been trapped in the caves due to flooding triggered by heavy rainfall. Divers from Thai Navy SEAL units and rescue experts from the US, UK, China, and Australia coordinated to search the cave system, which led them to find the team.</p>
<p>Now they need to try to stabilize the team before extracting them. Luckily, the team now has supplies to last at least two weeks.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThaiSEAL/videos/1631228493667210/">Facebook video</a> posted by the Thai Navy after the team was discovered, you can see that the boys appear to be okay, sitting in a group above the water in a cave chamber.</p>
<p>"We are coming, it's OK, many people are coming," one member of the search team tells the boys.</p>
<p>The biggest concern in the ongoing rescue efforts is that water is unfortunately still rising. Navy SEALS and rescue officials have been trying to pump water out of various chambers throughout the cave system. But it's still impossible to get from the chamber where the boys are to the outside world without SCUBA gear, and continued rainfall is offsetting the pumping process.</p>
<p>The hope has been that rescuers will be able to drain enough water for the teams to extract the boys without putting them in dive gear. Diving through caves is extremely dangerous for novices, especially people in a weakened state.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/05/asia/thai-cave-rescue-intl/index.html">rain is expected to intensify this weekend</a>, which could worsen the floods. Because of that, rescuers have started trying to teach the boys to use diving gear.</p>
<p>The rainy season in Thailand will continue for months.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/how-long-can-people-survive-without-food-or-water-trapped-in-a-cave-2018-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/nasa-saved-world-ozone-hole-montreal-protocol-2018-6">How NASA saved the world</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/a-thai-soccer-team-has-been-found-alive-after-being-trapped-in-a-flooded-cave-2018-7A teenage soccer team and its coach have been found alive after being trapped for 9 days in a flooded cave in Thailandhttps://www.thisisinsider.com/a-thai-soccer-team-has-been-found-alive-after-being-trapped-in-a-flooded-cave-2018-7
Mon, 02 Jul 2018 12:33:48 -0400Asher McShane
<p><img src="https://static1.thisisinsider.com/image/5b3a6e867708e96f107b68e9-2000/thai rescue team.jpg" border="0" alt="Thai rescue team" data-mce-source="Reuters" /></p><p></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>An Under-16 soccer team and coach have been found alive after being trapped in flooded Tham Luang cave for nine days.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Twelve members of the Thai soccer team were found showing "signs of life."</strong></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Twelve members of a Thai football team and their coach have been found showing 'signs of life' after being trapped for nine days in a flooded cave in Thailand.</p>
<p>The boys ventured into the Tham Luang Nang Non cave on Saturday 23 June but were trapped in the cave by torrential rain. A major search and rescue operation was launched to drain the cave and rescue them.</p>
<p>Thailand's provincial governor said this afternoon that all 12 boys and their coach had been found alive by Thailand's Navy SEAL divers.</p>
<p>"Thai Navy seals have found all 13 with signs of life," Governor Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters.</p>
<p><img src="https://static3.thisisinsider.com/image/5b3a6e867708e96f107b68ea-2000/thai rescue caves.png" border="0" alt="Thai rescue caves" data-mce-source="Reuters" /></p>
<p>He added: "We found them safe. But the operation isn't over."</p>
<p>Navy divers and rescue workers entered a narrow passageway early on Monday after passing through a key chamber on Sunday where high, murky waters had previously blocked their progress.</p>
<p>Mr Narongsak said the passageway the divers made their way through goes upwards in some places and downwards in others and is extremely narrow, making it difficult for divers to fit through with all their gear.</p>
<p>In the course of their search they were repeatedly blocked by rising water that filled sections of the cave and forced them to withdraw for safety reasons.</p>
<p>When water levels dropped on Sunday, the divers went forward with a more methodical approach, deploying a rope line and extra oxygen supplies along the way.</p>
<p><img src="https://static3.thisisinsider.com/image/5b3a6e867708e96f107b68eb-2000/thai cave.jpg" border="0" alt="Thai cave" data-mce-source="Reuters" /></p>
<p>The navy divers' Facebook page said that since Sunday night, the divers had reached a bend where the half-mile passage splits in two directions.</p>
<p>The divers were aiming for a sandy chamber on higher ground in the cave, where they believed the group would be safe.</p>
<p>Public hopes for a rescue have been running high since Sunday, but officials avoided setting a timetable.</p>
<p>"In theory, human beings can last 30 days (without food)," Mr Narongsak told reporters while the search was still ongoing, before the team was found. "We hope and believe that is the case. We all still have hope."</p>
<p>He said at the time that it was expected that in their condition, the boys would at first not be able to move their limbs, but the plan was that medical teams would initially treat them in situ.</p>
<p>He said the diving team included doctors.</p>
<p><span><em>Sign up&nbsp;</em><a href="http://link.thisisinsider.com/join/59l/newsletter"><em>here</em></a><em>&nbsp;to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.</em></span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/sac-actun-flooded-cave-under-threat-2018-2" >Scientists have discovered the world's largest underwater cave — and it's home to a treasure trove of ancient artifacts</a></strong></p>
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<p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/a-thai-soccer-team-has-been-found-alive-after-being-trapped-in-a-flooded-cave-2018-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/where-to-travel-2019-bucket-list-2019-1">43 incredible places to add to your 2019 bucket list</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/video-animation-how-far-humans-dug-earth-crust-mining-2017-9This incredible animation shows how deep humans have dughttps://www.thisisinsider.com/video-animation-how-far-humans-dug-earth-crust-mining-2017-9
Mon, 25 Sep 2017 13:19:32 -0400Rob Ludacer
<p><span>If we were to journey to the center of the Earth, it would take a lot longer than you might expect.&nbsp;Here's how deep humans have dug underground.</span></p>
<p><span>The typical grave is 6 feet down. Most Olympic swimming pools are 10 feet deep.&nbsp;Nile crocodiles dig burrows as deep as 39 feet deep.&nbsp;The Paris Catacombs are 65 feet underground.</span></p>
<p><span>The ancient city of Derinkuyu lies 279 feet below Turkey.&nbsp;The Greenbrier Bunker in W. Virginia is 720 feet underground.&nbsp;It was built to keep Congress safe in an emergency.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span>If the Eiffel Tower were buried up to the tip the base would reach down to here.&nbsp;The Woodingdean Well is 1,285 feet deep.&nbsp;It's the deepest hole that humans have dug by hand.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span>33 Chilean miners were trapped in a mine for about 2 months in 2010.&nbsp;The Burj Khalifa would go 2,722 feet below the surface.&nbsp;The deepest known point in a cave is in Krubera Cave in Georgia.&nbsp;Switzerland's Gotthard Base Tunnel is the deepest railway tunnel.&nbsp;Mponeng in South Africa is the world's deepest gold mine.</span></p>
<p><span>The Kola Superdeep Borehole is only 9 inches wide.&nbsp;Russian scientists have been drilling it since 1970.&nbsp;It's now deeper than the deepest part of the ocean.&nbsp;The bottom is 356˚F, which is too hot for drills to go any further.&nbsp;In 2012, Exxon completed the Z-44 Chayvo Well.&nbsp;This oil well is the deepest humans have dug</span></p>
<p><span>It would take another 60,000 feet to reach the end of the crust and another 21 million feet to the center of the Earth. Better get digging!</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Follow Tech Insider:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/techinsider">On Facebook</a></span></p><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/video-animation-how-far-humans-dug-earth-crust-mining-2017-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/strange-life-has-been-found-trapped-inside-these-giant-cave-crystals-2017-2Strange life has been found trapped inside these giant cave crystalshttps://www.thisisinsider.com/strange-life-has-been-found-trapped-inside-these-giant-cave-crystals-2017-2
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 15:25:50 -0500Bec Crew
<p><img src="https://static4.thisisinsider.com/image/58aca2d4dd0895802f8b4994-1137/1280px-cristalescuevadenaica.jpg" alt="1280px Cristales_cueva_de_Naica.JPG" data-mce-source="Alexander Van Driessche/Wikimedia Commons" data-link="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cristales_cueva_de_Naica.JPG" /></p><p></p>
<p>Strange microbes have been found inside the massive, subterranean crystals of Mexico's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naica_Mine">Naica Mine</a>, and researchers suspect they've been living there for up to 50,000 years.</p>
<p>The ancient creatures appear to have been dormant for thousands of years, surviving in tiny pockets of liquid within the crystal structures. Now, scientists have managed to extract them &mdash; and wake them up.</p>
<p>"These organisms are so extraordinary," astrobiologist Penelope Boston, director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/microbes-survived-inside-giant-cave-crystals-50000-years">said on Friday</a> at the annual meeting of the <a href="https://aaas.confex.com/aaas/2017/webprogram/Paper19001.html">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a> (AAAS) in Boston.</p>
<p>The Cave of Crystals in Mexico's Naica Mine might look incredibly beautiful, but it's one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, with temperatures ranging from <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/microbes-survived-inside-giant-cave-crystals-50000-years">45 to 65&deg;C</a> (113 to 149&deg;F), and humidity levels hitting <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8466493.stm">more than 99 percent</a>.</p>
<p>Not only are temperatures hellishly high, but the environment is also oppressively acidic, and confined to pitch-black darkness some 300 metres (1,000 feet) below the surface.</p>
<p>In lieu of any sunlight, microbes inside the cave can't photosynthesise &mdash; instead, they perform <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemosynthesis">chemosynthesis</a> using minerals like iron and sulphur in the giant gypsum crystals, some of which stretch <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070406-giant-crystals.html">11 metres</a> (36 feet) long, and have been dated to <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/crystal-caves-mine-microbes-mexico-boston-aaas-aliens-science/">half a million years old</a>.</p>
<p>Researchers have previously found life living inside the walls of the cavern and nearby the crystals &mdash; <a href="http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00037/full">a 2013 expedition to Naica</a> reported the discovery of creatures thriving in the hot, saline springs of the complex cave system.</p>
<p>But when Boston and her team extracted liquid from the tiny gaps inside the crystals and sent them off to be analysed, they realised that not only was there life inside, but it was unlike anything they'd seen in the scientific record.</p>
<p>They suspect the creatures had been living inside their crystal castles for somewhere between <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39013829">10,000 and 50,000 years</a>, and while their bodies had mostly shut down, they were still very much alive.</p>
<p>"Other people have made longer-term claims for the antiquity of organisms that were still alive, but in this case these organisms are all very extraordinary &mdash; they are not very closely related to anything in the known genetic databases," <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39013829">Boston told Jonathan Amos at BBC News</a>.</p>
<p>What's perhaps most extraordinary about the find is that the researchers were able to 'revive' some of the microbes, and grow cultures from them in the lab.</p>
<p>"Much to my surprise we got things to grow," <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/18/newly-discovered-weird-life-forms-may-offer-clue-life-mars/">Boston told Sarah Knapton at </a><em><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/18/newly-discovered-weird-life-forms-may-offer-clue-life-mars/">The Telegraph</a>.</em> "It was laborious. We lost some of them &mdash; that's just the game. They've got needs we can't fulfil."</p>
<p>At this point, we should be clear that the discovery has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, so until other scientists have had a chance to examine the methodology and findings, we can't consider the discovery be definitive just yet.</p>
<p>The team will also need to convince the scientific community that the findings aren't the result of contamination &mdash; these microbes are invisible to the naked eye, which means it's possible that they attached themselves to the drilling equipment and made it look like they came from inside the crystals.</p>
<p>"I think that the presence of microbes trapped within fluid inclusions in Naica crystals is in principle possible," Purificaci&oacute;n L&oacute;pez-Garc&iacute;a from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, who was part of the 2013 study that found life in the cave springs, <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/crystal-caves-mine-microbes-mexico-boston-aaas-aliens-science/">told</a><em><a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/crystal-caves-mine-microbes-mexico-boston-aaas-aliens-science/"> National Geographic</a>.</em></p>
<p>"[But] contamination during drilling with microorganisms attached to the surface of these crystals or living in tiny fractures constitutes a very serious risk," <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/crystal-caves-mine-microbes-mexico-boston-aaas-aliens-science/">she says</a>. I am very skeptical about the veracity of this finding until I see the evidence."</p>
<p>That said, microbiologist Brent Christner from the University of Florida in Gainesville, who was also not involved in the research, thinks the claim isn't as far-fetched as L&oacute;pez-Garc&iacute;a is making it out to be, based on what <a href="http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-are-reawakening-a-giant-virus-frozen-in-the-siberian-wilderness">previous studies</a> have managed with similarly ancient microbes.</p>
<p>"[R]eviving microbes from samples of 10,000 to 50,000 years is not that outlandish based on previous reports of microbial resuscitations in geological materials hundreds of thousands to millions of years old," <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/crystal-caves-mine-microbes-mexico-boston-aaas-aliens-science/">he told <em>National Geographic.</em></a></p>
<p>For their part, Boston and her team say they took every precaution to make sure their gear was sterilised, and cite the fact that the creatures they found inside the crystals were similar, but not identical to those living elsewhere in the cave as evidence to support their claims.</p>
<p>"We have also done genetic work and cultured the cave organisms that are alive now and exposed, and we see that some of those microbes are similar but not identical to those in the fluid inclusions," <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/02/crystal-caves-mine-microbes-mexico-boston-aaas-aliens-science/">she said</a>.</p>
<p>Only time will tell if the results will bear out once they're published for all to see, but if they are confirmed, it's just further proof of the incredible hardiness of life on Earth, and points to what's possible out there in the extreme conditions of space.</p><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/strange-life-has-been-found-trapped-inside-these-giant-cave-crystals-2017-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/we-tried-the-thickest-dribbliest-hot-chocolate-in-london-2018-11">We tried the thickest, messiest hot chocolate in London — here's what we thought</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/ice-cave-vatnajokull-iceland-glacier-2017-2There's a beautiful ice cave underneath Iceland's largest glacierhttps://www.thisisinsider.com/ice-cave-vatnajokull-iceland-glacier-2017-2
Wed, 15 Feb 2017 11:01:35 -0500Claudia Romeo
<p>This video shows a group of tourists taking a tour an ice cave underneath Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland.</p>
<p>The glacier&nbsp;expands for&nbsp;<span>3,100 square miles and it is the largest in the country.<br /></span></p>
<p><em>Produced by <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/author/claudia-romeo" target="_blank">Claudia Romeo</a></em></p><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/ice-cave-vatnajokull-iceland-glacier-2017-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/glowing-caves-photos-new-zealand-2016-11This 30-million-year-old cave in New Zealand has a beautiful phenomenon that doesn't exist anywhere else in the worldhttps://www.thisisinsider.com/glowing-caves-photos-new-zealand-2016-11
Thu, 10 Nov 2016 08:25:00 -0500Erin Brodwin
<p><img src="https://static1.thisisinsider.com/image/55ae4deddd089556468b4585-2560-1709/imp_jml_glowwormsexcl_38413.jpg" alt="Glowing Worms New Zealand 10" data-mce-source="Joe Michael" data-link="http://www.joemichael.co.nz/photography/#/luminosity/" /></p><p>Deep underground in New Zealand's North Island, a winding underground universe of limestone caves glow with a magical blue-green light. While it might seem like pure fantasy, these caves are very real. Their dark interior is brought to life by twinkling colonies of glow worms, or arachnocampa luminosa.</p>
<p>Auckland photographer <a href="http://www.joemichael.co.nz/photography/#/luminosity/">Joseph Michael</a> documented the sparkling caves by spending countless hours in the frigid underworld of the caves, which experts estimate dates back some 30 million years.</p><h3>Glowworms are the larvae of the fungus gnat, a type of fly that resembles a mosquito.</h3>
<img src="https://static2.thisisinsider.com/image/55ae4deedd089556468b4587-400-300/glowworms-are-the-larvae-of-the-fungus-gnat-a-type-of-fly-that-resembles-a-mosquito.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>The glowworms are found only in New Zealand and eastern Australia. The Australian worms have smaller lights and tend to stay in smaller groups.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.thisisinsider.com/image/55ae4deedd089556468b4588-400-300/the-glowworms-are-found-only-in-new-zealand-and-eastern-australia-the-australian-worms-have-smaller-lights-and-tend-to-stay-in-smaller-groups.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>The first part of the species' name, arachnocampa, means "spider worm," and refers to the web of silk threads the worms use to snatch their prey.</h3>
<img src="https://static3.thisisinsider.com/image/55ae4deedd089556468b4589-400-300/the-first-part-of-the-species-name-arachnocampa-means-spider-worm-and-refers-to-the-web-of-silk-threads-the-worms-use-to-snatch-their-prey.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/glowing-caves-photos-new-zealand-2016-11#/#the-roofs-of-caves-make-great-homes-for-the-larvae-which-often-reside-side-by-side-in-groups-of-hundreds-because-of-their-damp-sheltered-surface-4">See the rest of the story at INSIDER</a> https://www.thisisinsider.com/explorers-just-reached-the-bottom-of-the-deepest-underwater-cave-on-earth-2016-10Explorers just reached the bottom of the deepest underwater cave on Earthhttps://www.thisisinsider.com/explorers-just-reached-the-bottom-of-the-deepest-underwater-cave-on-earth-2016-10
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 09:49:00 -0400Josh Hrala
<p><img src="https://static6.thisisinsider.com/image/57f3f3ebdd0895a2358b48a6-1306/screenshot%202016-10-04%2013.59.04.png" alt="Hranicka Propast cave" data-mce-source="Starnawski/Vimeo" data-link="https://vimeo.com/139320801"></p><p></p>
<p>Explorers in the Czech Republic have just completed an expedition to the underwater cave Hranická Propast — also known as the Hranice Abyss — verifying for the first time since its discovery in 1999 that it really is the deepest underwater cave on Earth.</p>
<p>The team, led by Polish diver Krzysztof Starnawski, managed to reach a depth of 404 metres (1,325 feet) using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which means this limestone cavern is 12 metres (39 feet) deeper than the second deepest underwater cave that we know of — Italy's Pozzo del Merro.</p>
<p>The most recent expedition, which was sponsored in part by <em>National Geographic,</em> is the result of over <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/activities/caving-and-canyoneering/deepest-underwater-cave-discovered/">two years of diving</a>. Back in 2014, Starnawski thought he had reached the bottom of the cave at a depth of 200 metres (656 feet).</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/activities/caving-and-canyoneering/deepest-underwater-cave-discovered/">As Kat Long reports for <em>National Geographic</em></a>, with further investigation, Starnawski found an extremely narrow 'squeeze passage' that gave way to a gigantic, pitch black, vertical tunnel, which he tried to explore with a probe, but ran out of line at a depth of 384 metres (1,260 feet).</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/activities/caving-and-canyoneering/deepest-underwater-cave-discovered/">In 2015</a>, Starnawski conducted another dive in the cave, revealing that the passage he managed to stick a probe through last time had widened, which allowed him to actually swim through.</p>
<p>While inside this black abyss, he managed to reach a depth of 265 metres (869 feet) where he unleashed another probe, finally managing to reach something solid at a total depth of 370 metres (1,214 feet) - possibly landing on top of fallen debris.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/activities/caving-and-canyoneering/deepest-underwater-cave-discovered/">According to Long</a>, during the most recent expedition last week, the team managed to use an ROV to fully explore the cave, verifying that it is, in fact, the deepest known cave in the world, at a depth of 404 metres (1,325 feet).</p>
<p>"As the expedition leader for the last several years, I've prepared the equipment and the route in and out for the ROV's dive, so the ROV could go beyond the limits of a human diver, and get through the restricted passage and between the fallen logs and trees," <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/activities/caving-and-canyoneering/deepest-underwater-cave-discovered/">Starnawski told <em>National Geographic</em></a>.</p>
<p>For <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/activities/caving-and-canyoneering/deepest-underwater-cave-discovered/">this expedition</a>, he dived down to 200 metres (656 feet) to affix a guideline for the ROV to follow. His team deployed the ROV, and he accompanied it down to 60 metres (197 feet).</p>
<p>"From there, the team at the surface navigated it, via fibre-optic cable, down along my new line to 200 metres deep. Then it went down to explore the uncharted territory — to the record-breaking depth of 404 metres," <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/activities/caving-and-canyoneering/deepest-underwater-cave-discovered/">he told <em>National Geographic</em></a>.</p>
<p>"The ROV that reached 404 metres has a depth gauge that was tested and certified by our state commission, so we are 100 percent sure the measurements were accurate."</p>
<p>While the team is sure that the cave is the deepest known in the world, there are still many things to learn about it. It's thought that the limestone cavern was created by bubbling <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150904-cave-dive-czech-polish-deepest-flooded-adventure/">hot mineral water</a> filled with carbon dioxide that slowly formed a tunnel over time, but further research is needed to fully understand its formation.</p>
<p>"This cave is very unique because it's like a volcano, formed from hot mineral water bubbling from the bottom up, rather than rain coming from the top down like most caves," <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150904-cave-dive-czech-polish-deepest-flooded-adventure/">Starnawski explained to Mark M. Synnot at <em>National Geographic</em>last year</a>.</p>
<p>"There are probably only three caves like this in the world. There is nothing typical about this cave, and every dive we make new discoveries."</p>
<p>Check out the video below of Starnawski diving into the Hranická Propast last year:</p>
<p><div>
<div class="vimeo-embed-container">
<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/139320801?autoplay=0&amp;loop=0" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</div></p><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/explorers-just-reached-the-bottom-of-the-deepest-underwater-cave-on-earth-2016-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/how-artist-nassia-inglessis-built-disobedience-sculpture-expands-as-you-walk-through-2019-1">How an artist built a sculpture that expands as you walk through it</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/predict-earthquake-cave-2016-10Ancient caves are offering clues to help scientists predict earthquakeshttps://www.thisisinsider.com/predict-earthquake-cave-2016-10
Mon, 03 Oct 2016 15:11:49 -0400Deanna Conners
<p><img src="https://static5.thisisinsider.com/image/57f2ae3bdd089597358b45f5-800/donnehues-cave-frushour-800.jpg" alt="donnehues cave frushour 800" data-mce-source="Sam Frushour" data-mce-caption="Donnehue&rsquo;s Cave in Indiana" /></p><p></p>
<p>Knowledge of the timing of past earthquakes is important for understanding when a dangerous earthquake might strike again. Scientists are currently able to date ancient earthquakes &mdash; known as paleoearthquakes &mdash; fairly accurately over a period of tens of thousands of years by examining geological records of the events preserved in the soil. To obtain even older records, some scientists think that it might be possible to use stalagmites that grow on the floors of caves. Specifically, their work has shown that disruptions of mineral growth within stalagmites correlate with large earthquakes in southern Indiana. The new research was published in the "<a href="http://www.bssaonline.org/content/early/2016/09/09/0120150240.abstract">Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America</a>" on September 13, 2016.</p>
<p>Samuel Panno, lead author of the study, is a researcher at the Illinois State Geological Survey and University of Illinois. Hesaid:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Most of the evidence for paleoearthquakes comes from [soil] liquefaction features that are fairly easy to date. The problem is that you are doing this in sediments that are usually on the order of several hundred to up to 20,000 years old, so to go beyond that, to get older and older earthquake signatures, we decided to look into caves.</p>
<p>Several stalagmites in Donnehue&rsquo;s Cave in Indiana showed evidence of disruptions in growth that correlated with large earthquakes. Remarkably, one stalagmite stopped growing 100,000 years ago and then started growing again approximately 6,000 years ago. This growth spurt coincided with an unusually large earthquake (moment magnitude of 7.1&ndash;7.3, 6,100 &plusmn; 200 years before present) in the region. Another young stalagmite started growing 1,800 years ago around the time that another large earthquake (moment magnitude of 6.2) struck the region.</p>
<p>Stalagmite growth is supported by the dripping of mineral-rich water from the roof of a cave. As the minerals accumulate over time, stalagmites take on the shape of rounded mounds on the cave floor. Stalactites, which many people are familiar with, hang off the roof of a cave and typically form icicle-like shapes. Stalagmites and stalactites both form as minerals precipitate out of water.</p>
<p>Earthquakes can disrupt stalagmite growth by changing the flow of the mineral-rich water, the scientists say. For example, shifts in rocks can completely shut off the flow and stop stalagmite growth or open up a new flow channel that initiates stalagmite growth.</p>
<p>Other events such as changes in climate are also known to affect stalagmite growth. So when applying this earthquake reconstruction technique, it will be important to be able to tease out factors such as flooding and droughts that can also lead to changes in the flow of mineral-rich water within caves. The scientists are hoping to expand their work to other cave and fault systems in the future.</p>
<p>Other co-authors of study included Mirona Chirienco, Robert Bauer, Craig Lundstrom, Zhaofeng Zhang, and Keith Hackley.</p>
<p>Bottom line: Scientists have found that disruptions of stalagmite growth in an Indiana cave correlate with large earthquakes. Thus, they believe that it may be possible to use stalagmites to reconstruct the timing of paleoearthquakes in certain regions.</p><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/predict-earthquake-cave-2016-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/map-earthquakes-magnitude-animated-1900-2016-8">Animated map shows where the largest earthquakes of the past 100 years have struck</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/best-caves-to-explore-in-america-2016-915 incredible caves to explore in Americahttps://www.thisisinsider.com/best-caves-to-explore-in-america-2016-9
Thu, 01 Sep 2016 17:07:56 -0400Nile Cappello
<p><span><img src="https://static3.thisisinsider.com/image/57c87739956abc1f008b4a3c-1200/carlsbad-caverns.jpg" alt="carlsbad caverns" data-mce-source="Doug Meek/Shutterstock" data-link="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-132426206/stock-photo-pathway-through-the-big-room-carlsbad-caverns-new-mexico.html?src=-EhtbkcReyaARJSrQPyqiA-1-0">Grab your Indiana Jones hat and jump in the jeep — we’re going exploring.</span></p>
<p><span>Though there’s no treasure to steal, there’s plenty to discover beneath the surface in the thousands of miles of underground caves across the United States. From rare, intricate rock designs in South Dakota to America’s largest underground lake in Tennessee, these 15 caves are your ticket to getting to know America below the surface.</span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/the-best-hiking-trail-in-every-state-2016-7" >The best hiking trail in every state</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>FOLLOW US:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/thisisinsidertravel/" >INSIDER Travel is on Facebook</a></strong></p>
<h3>Mammoth Cave, Kentucky</h3>
<img src="https://static4.thisisinsider.com/image/57c86facb6fa0269008b4a8e-400-300/mammoth-cave-kentucky.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><span>Actually a cave system and not a singular cave, Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the more than 400 miles of passageways &mdash; the world&rsquo;s largest known cave system. The cave system is located within the Green River valley, and its winding chambers, pools, and limestone labyrinths are equal parts beautiful and eerie. Ten different tours offer guests the opportunity to explore the decorated, historic and dripstone areas. The cave complex is especially well known for its natural entrance and Gothic Avenue, a passageway filled with historic stone monuments and signatures from 19th-century visitors. Visitors can </span><a href="https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/permitsandreservations.htm" target="_blank">reserve</a><span> tours online.</span></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Meramec Caverns, Missouri</h3>
<img src="https://static1.thisisinsider.com/image/57c87cbfb6fa025a008b4a67-400-300/meramec-caverns-missouri.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>A magnificent seven-layer space, this limestone cave in Sullivan, Missouri, is believed to have once served as a hideout for Jesse James and his criminal gang. Today, the caverns are a popular tourist attraction, known for colorful formations and a large underground lake. Highlights of the caverns include the Wine Table, a rare cave structure formed completely underwater, and an LED light show projected across the formations.</p>
<p><em>Note: Meramec Caverns were recently reopened following a voluntary closure to investigate contamination concerns. As of publication, tours are not being offered in the back section of the cave, as they are still working to remedy the issue in this part.</em><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/2829163495/in/photolist-5j1cJX-5j5xXf-5j4TT3-5j4Lru-5j184D-5j5w41-5j1eYe-5iZAeV-5j4S8w-5j4KGW-5j4MUd-5j1bja-5iZuw6-5j4UBu-5j4PH7-5j1hka-5j4NBJ-8oatxB-8oasft-6PUpNK-6PUonP-6DXnHX-6DXjNX-8oapTi-8oapvP-8odBbW-8oarEt-8oaqTe-8odArw-8oasqe-8oaqir-6PUoSv-6PYut1-6PUp42-8odD6s-a1nVvs-a1kNFc-8odDfG-8oarNV-NsagL-NsBsM-4WRYPc-4WRYiM-4WWgoA-4WWfvb-4WRZiF-4WRYD2-4WWg8E-4WWfAj-4WRZmP" target="_blank"><em>Flickr: Marcin Wichary</em></a></p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico</h3>
<img src="https://static4.thisisinsider.com/image/57c87739956abc1f008b4a3c-400-300/carlsbad-caverns-new-mexico.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p><span>Formed from sulfuric acid erosion of underground limestone deposits, the Carlsbad Caverns are tucked into the Chihuahuan Desert and include 119 known caves. Visitors are free to take a self-guided tour of the Big Room cavern chamber, the 750-foot Natural Entrance trail, sea ledges and deep canyons. If you&rsquo;d rather explore with the guidance of a park ranger and explore additional areas, including those only accessible via ladders and lit by handheld lanterns &mdash; </span><a href="https://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/cave_tours.htm" target="_blank">reserve a cave tour</a><span> online or over the phone. Special events and programming include Bat Flight Tours, offered May through October, when bats exit the cave at dusk daily, and special centennial celebrations held throughout 2016.</span></p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/best-caves-to-explore-in-america-2016-9#/#ruby-falls-tennessee-4">See the rest of the story at INSIDER</a> https://www.thisisinsider.com/stunning-blue-caves-greece-2016-8Greece's stunning blue caves are carved into limestone cliffshttps://www.thisisinsider.com/stunning-blue-caves-greece-2016-8
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 16:30:28 -0400David Fang
<p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/stunning-blue-caves-greece-2016-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/explore-caves-by-kayak-on-lake-superior-2016-8You can explore amazing sandstone caves by kayak on Lake Superiorhttps://www.thisisinsider.com/explore-caves-by-kayak-on-lake-superior-2016-8
Fri, 05 Aug 2016 16:02:26 -0400Stephen Parkhurst and Chloe Miller
<p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/explore-caves-by-kayak-on-lake-superior-2016-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/thunderball-grotto-bahamas-2016-6There's a gorgeous swimming hole hidden inside a cave in the Bahamashttps://www.thisisinsider.com/thunderball-grotto-bahamas-2016-6
Fri, 10 Jun 2016 12:46:00 -0400Jeremy Dreyfuss
<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/8jPsrAMDBq/?taken-by=wickedsaltywes">Thunderball Grotto</a> is a gorgeous swimming hole hidden in the Bahamas. There are multiple ways to get to it, but the most fun is by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypnVLVzuf2M">jumping through an opening from above</a>.</p>
<p><em>Written and produced by Jeremy Dreyfuss, footage provided by&nbsp;<span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/WickedSaltySailors">Wicked Salty</a>. Find them on<span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/wickedsalty%20">Facebook</a><span>&nbsp;and&nbsp;</span><a href="https://twitter.com/wickedsaltywes">Twitter</a>.</em></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/50-incredible-hotels-you-should-sleep-in-during-your-lifetime-2016-5" >50 incredible hotels you should sleep in during your lifetime</a></strong></p>
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<p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/thunderball-grotto-bahamas-2016-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/hand-carved-caves-new-mexico-2016-5An artist spent decades hand-carving intricate 40-foot caves in New Mexicohttps://www.thisisinsider.com/hand-carved-caves-new-mexico-2016-5
Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:31:21 -0400Chloe Miller
<p><img src="https://static2.thisisinsider.com/image/574f279c30830916008b52f2-780/cave.png" alt="cave new mexico" data-mce-source="Instagram/colbyshootspeople" data-link="https://www.instagram.com/colbyshootspeople/"></p><p>Artist Ra Paulette has spent decades hand-carving intricate caves, shrines, and caverns in the sandstone hills near Ojo Caliente, New Mexico.</p>
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<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-04-30T17:10:12+00:00">Apr 30, 2015 at 10:10am PDT</time></p>
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<p>These larger-than-life works of art — some looming 30 to 40 feet high — are all built by hand with simple tools like pick axes and shovels. While technically subterranean, Paulette creates vertical shafts that lead out of the cave, so that the carvings and caverns are bathed in natural light. </p>
<p>The juxtaposition of being underground while light streams in from the shafts is meant to be "transformational," Paulette said in an Oscar-nominated <a href="http://www.cavediggerdocumentary.com/about.html">documentary about his work, named "Cavedigger."</a></p>
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<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-07-23T02:03:22+00:00">Jul 22, 2015 at 7:03pm PDT</time></p>
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<p>Not only does Paulette dig these giant caves, he carves intricate motifs into their soft sandstone, adding a spiritual vibe.</p>
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<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-01-18T16:08:13+00:00">Jan 18, 2015 at 8:08am PST</time></p>
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<p>Paulette has dug dozens of these sanctoriums, some of which were open to the public, but have since been closed due to vandalism. Since 2010, Paulette has been working independently on his "magnum opus," a massive cave-carving project he predicts will take 10 years to complete. </p>
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<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-06-20T16:11:53+00:00">Jun 20, 2015 at 9:11am PDT</time></p>
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<p>Some of the caves are used for spiritual retreats, meditation, and "sound healing."</p>
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<p style="color:#c9c8cd; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://instagram.com/p/BAqfmxDt0Kh/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_top">A photo posted by Origin at Rancho de San Juan (@origin.new.mexico)</a> on
<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-01-18T02:40:31+00:00">Jan 17, 2016 at 6:40pm PST</time></p>
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<p>Visitors keen to experience Paulette's artistry and the spiritual power of the caverns can take guided tours through <a href="http://originnewmexico.com/sandstone-art-caves-origin-new-mexico/">luxury resort Origin</a>.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/best-landmarks-in-the-us-according-to-tripadvisor-2016-5" >These are the top 10 landmarks to visit in the US, according to TripAdvisor</a></strong></p>
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<p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/hand-carved-caves-new-mexico-2016-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/inside-this-giant-glacier-2016-5">Alaska is home to a cave inside of a giant glacier</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/neanderthals-stone-monuments-caves-2016-5Neanderthals built something deep inside a cave that scientists can't yet explainhttps://www.thisisinsider.com/neanderthals-stone-monuments-caves-2016-5
Thu, 26 May 2016 14:41:00 -0400Sean Kane
<p><img class="full" src="https://static2.thisisinsider.com/image/574725a4dd089515598b46ae-5340-3185/neanderthal ritual cave.jpg" alt="Neanderthal ritual cave" data-mce-source="Etienne FABRE - SSAC" /></p><p>Our prehistoric cousins, the Neanderthals, were not just knuckle-dragging cavemen.</p>
<p>A new study published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/nature18291.epdf">Nature</a> shows they built stone structures deep inside caves in the south of France, and the revelation is rapidly changing our views on Neanderthals.</p>
<p>Locals found the structures in the 1990s, and the archaeologist&nbsp;that first&nbsp;studied them, Francois Rouzaud, hypothesized&nbsp;Neanderthals were responsible, but did not have a chance to return to the cave before his death in 1999.</p>
<p>The new research removes all doubt about these precision-built structures, showing they're three times older than previously thought &mdash; squarely placing them on a timeline before modern humans arrived in Europe, and when Neanderthals occupied the region.</p>
<p>In 1992, French teenager Bruno Kowalsczewski gained access to Bruniquel Cave, after three years of moving rocks from a nearby scree (his father had noticed air escaping through the pile of rocks), reports <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/05/the-astonishing-age-of-a-neanderthal-cave-construction-site/484070/">The Atlantic</a>. He invited local cavers to explore the cave, and 336 meters (about 1100 feet) in, they made an incredible find: two ringlike structures made of broken stalactites and stalagmites, the conical structures formed by minerals dripping from cave ceilings or onto cave floors.</p>
<p>Initial&nbsp;radiocarbon estimates from Rouzaud put the structures at 47,600 years old, meaning that they had to have been assembled by the only humans in Europe at the time: our stocky, broad-browed cousins, the Neanderthals. Rouzaud speculated that the structures could have been used for prehistoric rituals &mdash; besides the rings and burned animal bones, there wasn't any evidence of anyone actually living in the caves.</p>
<p>After Rouzard's death,&nbsp;research on Bruniquel Cave ceased, until 2013, when geologist Sophie Verheyden visited the region on vacation. Verheyden, who specializes in stalagmites at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences questioned the 47,600 year estimate, since radiocarbon dating is only accurate up to 50,000 years.</p>
<p>She decided that dating the broken mineral deposits themselves might give a more precise date.</p>
<p><img class="full" src="https://static5.thisisinsider.com/image/574725a4dd089515598b46af-2180-846/neanderthal cave reconstruction.jpg" alt="Neanderthal cave reconstruction" data-mce-source="Xavier MUTH - Get in Situ, Arch&eacute;otransfert, Arch&eacute;ovision -SHS-3D, base photograph Pascal Mora" />Following a trip into the cave with fellow stalagmite researcher Dominique Genty and archaeologist Jacques Jaubert, who also authored the new study, Verheyden used uranium-series dating to blow the former date out of the water.</p>
<p>The researchers removed samples from the stalagmites, finding two distinct layers: deposits from before the Neanderthals broke off the stalagmites, and deposits that dripped onto the bottoms their broken bases. The age discrepancy between the two layers revealed that the stone ring structures were about 176,500 years old.</p>
<p>What's more, charred marks reveal that the Neanderthals used fire to precisely heat-shock and snap off the stalagmites from the ground. This was not one person's work &mdash; the study suggests it took a lot of coordination between many individuals.</p>
<p>As the researchers write:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"It concerns elaborate constructions that have never been reported before, made with hundreds of partially calibrated, broken stalagmites (speleofacts) that appear to have been deliberately moved and placed in their current locations, along with the presence of several intentionally heated zones."</p>
<p>This reworks any previous notion of Neanderthals as dumb, lumbering casualties to modern man's clear evolutionary superiority. They weren't just holding our place until we got to Europe, they were wielding fire deep inside caves and building complex structures that may have served ritualistic purposes.</p>
<p>One thing's for sure, our Neanderthal cousins deserve a lot more of our respect.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/human-bone-church-portugal-2016-5" >A church in Portugal is made from human bones</a></strong></p>
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<p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/neanderthals-stone-monuments-caves-2016-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/charting-prehistoric-human-migration-animated-map-2015-10">This animated map shows how humans migrated across the globe</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/cave-of-swallows-mexico-2016-5There's a massive cave in Mexico that's filled with thousands of birdshttps://www.thisisinsider.com/cave-of-swallows-mexico-2016-5
Tue, 17 May 2016 14:30:31 -0400Chloe Miller and Chelsea Pineda
<p>Sótano de las Golondrinas, or Cave of Swallows, is the largest pit cave in the world — an over 1,200-foot drop from top to bottom.</p>
<p>It's also home to thousands of birds, who spiral out of the cave's mouth each day at sunrise, a sight that is popular with tourists. The cave is also a hot spot for adventure-seekers, who BASE jump or rappel down the cave's walls.&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Written by Chloe Miller and produced by Chelsea Pineda</em></p>
<p><strong>Follow INSIDER</strong><span>&nbsp;</span><strong>Travel</strong><span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thisisinsidertravel/">on Facebook<br></a><strong>Follow INSIDER</strong><span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHJuQZuzapBh-CuhRYxIZrg">on YouTube</a></p><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/cave-of-swallows-mexico-2016-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/mexican-hot-springs-hang-off-cliffs-2016-4There are hot springs in Mexico that hang off the side of a cliffhttps://www.thisisinsider.com/mexican-hot-springs-hang-off-cliffs-2016-4
Fri, 29 Apr 2016 12:07:37 -0400Chloe Miller and Jeremy Dreyfuss
<p>Las Grutas de Tolantongo is a natural spa resort in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. Thanks to the surrounding volcanic mountains, thermal springs spill out into incredible hot springs that hang off the side of a cliff.<em><br></em></p>
<p><em>Story by Chloe Miller and editing by Jeremy Dreyfuss, footage by&nbsp;<em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLeusrqEwSzLNTDAVxPbi3w">Mariel de Viaje</a><br></em></em></p>
<p><strong>Follow INSIDER Travel&nbsp;</strong><span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thisisinsidertravel/?fref=ts" target="_blank">on Facebook<br></a><strong>Follow INSIDER</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKfWL8IXgKBvagYDAY8u3fAGYhHnOZbtI" target="_blank">on YouTube</a></p><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/mexican-hot-springs-hang-off-cliffs-2016-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> https://www.thisisinsider.com/swim-through-caves-in-the-dominican-republic-2016-1Travelers can descend into dark caves in the Dominican Republic for a swimhttps://www.thisisinsider.com/swim-through-caves-in-the-dominican-republic-2016-1
Tue, 05 Jan 2016 12:17:26 -0500Adam Banicki
<p>The Dominican Republic is full of caves you can swim through if you are brave enough to face the dark waters.</p>
<p>The caves are part of the <a href="http://caribya.com/dominican.republic/el.choco.national.park/">El Choco National Park</a>&nbsp;in Cabarete,&nbsp;and a 10-minute walk from the beach.</p>
<p>Hikers can cliff jump into chilly, cavernous pools, under&nbsp;stalactite-covered&nbsp;cave ceilings that were formed by dripping water over the course of thousands of years.</p>
<p>For a $2 entrance fee, it's worth taking a break from the beach for an hour of spelunking.</p>
<p><em>Story and editing by Adam Banicki</em><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><br></span></p><p><a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/swim-through-caves-in-the-dominican-republic-2016-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p>